Why Your Content Needs to Work for Both Google and AI
For years, marketers focused almost exclusively on Google rankings. The logic was simple: rank high, get traffic, grow your business.
But the digital landscape is evolving. Generative AI chatbots, which summarise content instead of just linking to it, are becoming a key way people find answers. Now, it’s not enough to appear in search results—your content must also be cited and referenced by AI systems.
How Audiences Are Searching Today
Google remains the dominant search engine, but more people are turning to AI tools for instant answers. Chatbot traffic is smaller than traditional search engine traffic, but it is growing rapidly. ChatGPT alone received billions of visits over a 12-month period, with usage increasing significantly year over year.
This means AI is supplementing, rather than replacing, search engines—but content strategies must account for both to stay visible.
How Google and AI Evaluate Content Differently
Google: Simple Queries, Sophisticated Ranking
A search like “classic car insurance UK” may produce a simple list of links, but behind the scenes, Google evaluates relevance, authority, trustworthiness, backlinks, local signals, and structured data. High-quality content that meets these criteria performs best.
AI Chatbots: Complex Queries, Streamlined Filtering
AI tools process richer prompts and generate conversational summaries. They rely on fewer sources and often prioritise co-citations—mentions alongside trusted references—even without direct hyperlinks. This creates opportunities for content to gain AI visibility that may not rank as highly in traditional search.
How to Create Content That Works for Both
Foundational Strategies for Both Platforms:
Use clear headings, structured paragraphs, and supporting multimedia
Ensure accessibility and crawlability
Build credibility for your authors and brand
Create unique URLs and metadata
Cover topics in depth using semantically rich language
Include FAQ sections and concise summaries
Extra Tactics for AI Visibility:
Co-citations can be more valuable than backlinks
External mentions on reputable sites increase AI recognition
Keep details consistent across channels (brand names, addresses, etc.)
Provide structured summaries for AI comprehension
Use concise statements for better vectorisation
FAQ-style content helps AI answer complex prompts
